What if I disappoint my parents?

Episode Description:

In this episode of What If For Authors, Claire Taylor dives deep into a hidden anxiety many authors face—disappointing their parents. Whether your parents were loving and supportive, critical, or absent, the relationship you developed with them still influences how you approach your writing career. Claire addresses how these childhood patterns show up in adult life and impact your creative decisions, even when you think you’ve moved past them. By understanding the role your parents’ approval plays in your subconscious, you can start liberating yourself from their influence and reclaim your author career.

Key Takeaways:

• Unpacking Childhood Patterns: Our adult decisions, especially in writing, are often influenced by unresolved dynamics with our parents or guardians. These patterns show up even when we think we’ve moved past them.
• Three Core Childhood Needs: Claire breaks down how the Enneagram types relate to the childhood needs of attention, security, and autonomy, and how these unmet needs manifest in your writing career.
• Parental Approval vs. Creative Freedom: Many authors struggle with writing authentically because of the fear of parental disapproval, even when they aren’t consciously aware of it.
• Reparenting Yourself: Claire introduces the concept of reparenting, a way to heal your inner child and give yourself the unconditional love and approval you may not have received from your parents.
• Practical Exercises: Claire provides exercises to help you visualize what it would mean to fully please your parents and how many aspects of yourself you would have to suppress to do so. She also asks listeners to imagine how they would run their writing careers if parental approval wasn’t a factor.

Why You Should Listen: If you've ever felt like you’re holding back in your writing career due to what your parents (or any authority figure) might think, this episode offers crucial insights. It’s not just about realizing how much influence they still have, but about taking back control of your creative decisions for yourself.

Join the Conversation: Reach out to Claire at FFS.media for one-on-one coaching or author alignment sessions.

Access the transcript here.

Happy Writing!